Nevada panel calls for update to esports rules

The Nevada Gaming Policy Committee has urged gambling regulators in the US state to establish a new set of rules regarding wagering on esports contests.

The Committee, which met on Wednesday to discuss Nevada’s stance on esports, said workshops for public discussion on the subject could take place as early as next month.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper reports that casinos could take wagers on competitions from early next year.

Seth Schorr, chief executive of casino management company Fifth Street Gaming, which operates the Downtown Grand, said that the move could help to attract esports events and fans to the state.

“It’s a match made in heaven,” Schorr said.

The Committee, which met for the final time this year before the submission of draft bills for the 2017 legislative session, agreed not to recommend any changes to state law related to fantasy sports competitions.

Fantasy sports remains a subject of much debate in Nevada, with players in the state still unable to access contests offered by the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel.

Nevada currently classes fantasy sports as games of chance and demands that operators should be licensed as gaming companies by the state. Brands are reluctant to apply for gambling licences as it could impact their position as non-gambling operators at a federal level and in other states.

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